Drop in visits to A&E at the Sussex University Hospitals Trust last month

General view of an Accident and Emergency Sign at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

NHS England figures show 30,227 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in June.

Fewer patients visited A&E at the Sussex University Hospitals Trust last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 30,227 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in June.

That was a drop of 2% on the 30,996 visits recorded during May, but 2% more than the 29,711 patients seen in June 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in June 2021, there were 30,824 visits to A&E departments run by the Sussex University Hospitals Trust.

Most attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 10% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 5% were via consultant-led departments with single specialities, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month – down a bit from May, but slightly above the number of visits seen in June 2022.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 26,531 in June, down 16% from 31,494 in May. The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.

It comes as junior doctors have begun their five-day walk out in what is the longest spell of industrial action in the history.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of NHS care with staff experiencing the busiest June ever for A&E attendances, no doubt exacerbated by the record high temperatures experienced for that month.

"This ongoing pressure on services is precisely why it is so important to highlight that staff continue to make progress in reducing the longest waits for care despite strikes, high demand, and bank holiday weekends."

At University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust:

In June:

There were 2,048 booked appointments, down from 2,273 in May

67% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

2,001 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 7% of all arrivals

Of those, 591 were delayed by more than 12 hours